“So I sold my 17-inch widescreen iMac to a friend (for a smoking deal) this week… What now? Part of me honestly considered bagging Apple altogether: I’ve switched from the iPod to the superior Dell DJ anyway, and I’ve stopped purchasing songs from Apple’s iTunes Music Store. I’ve been unimpressed with the performance of the Macs I’ve owned (and have no desire to spend $3000 or more on a new Mac) and have been equally unimpressed with the quality of Mac OS X, which yes, is beautiful, and in some ways quite capable, but still lags XP in key areas,” Paul Thurrott writes for Paul Thurrott’s Internet Nexus.
“So if you have a second, and are interesting in doing more than just dump on me for being a Windows shill or whatever warped thing it is you think I am, I’m really looking for some advice. I figure I can spend about $2000 on a portable Mac without raising too many red flags with my accountant/wife. But I have questions. I also have requirements,” Thurrott writes.
– It has to burn DVDs.
– Should I get the 14-inch iBook G4?
– Or is the 12-inch PowerBook a better deal?
– Should I wait for the WWDC? (Inevitably, Apple will introduce faster machines the second I buy mine).
Thurrott asks, “Am I missing anything? One thing I can promise is that, whatever it is, I’ll likely return to bringing this device with me on business trips, which I can assure you, causes no end of discussion in the Microsoft-oriented world which I frequently ply in my day job. I’m happy to keep covering Apple–I figure this machine should last two years, or less than the iBook did–but it’s pretty clear that won’t happen regularly from my home office. Is this the right thing to do?”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: If you’d like to tell Paul what to do, where to go, or something else entirely, have at it. “Superior Dell DJ?” Paul’s a laugh riot, huh? And in which “key areas” does Mac OS X lag behind Windows XP? We’ve identified a few after much use of both systems.
Key areas where Mac OS X lags behind Windows XP:
– Ugliness
– Unusability
– Worm and virus plagues
– Inability to sleep and wake up instantly
– Nag screens
– Baked-in Microsoft-related advertising
– Device non-recognition
– Adware and spyware availability
– Bundled bad copies of Apple iLife applications
– Bloatedness
– Invoking hatred and/or fear of your personal computer
If you have additions to this list, please feel free to add them below.
Related MacDailyNews article:
Defending Windows over Mac a sign of mental illness – December 20, 2003
<Boot!> AND STAY OUT!! <Slam!>
Why would he even consider buying a Mac? C’mon…! He hates them. the only reason he would buy a Mac is to look down on it, and find things about it that he hates and write about them…
No, I say, do not buy a mac. Macs don’t want you…
like previous posters have been saying; IGNORE Paul Thurrott! He’s just trying to get a rise in his pants with the help of some Mac users willing to bite into his bait. He’s really only a master-baiter and nothing more. He’s not a Mac user, so don’t let his FUD articles fool you into thinking so.
Stick to Walt Mossberg if you want to be happy about what you read “out there”. At least he’s a REAL journalist.
Mr. Thurrot should buy a walkman (with cassettes) and stay away from those computergadgets.
He should buy a shotgun and put the barrel in his mouth and reboot his head with his big toe!
marketshare is nice if you’re a hardware maker…
but since apple’s also selling software and accessories and network tech..and big rig servers etc, PC marketshare is useless..
Installed base, on the other hand, would be a nice measure.. but.. eh.. can’t measure that
Is it true that XP stands for “Xtra Pain?”
I thought he liked that red Ferrari laptop that is really ugly and said it was nicer than any powerbook. Why doesn’t he get one of those?
I noticed that a lot of people are saying he shouldn’t get a Mac and leave it the hell alone so he can stop writing about them, but I don’t think the fact that he might be ‘Mac-Less’ in the future stop him writing his garbage anyway.
I am more appalled by MDN posting Thurrott’s mindless chatter. It has NOTHING to do with ANY Mac news or information. It’s the same old tired rhetoric. The only conclusion I can reach is that MDN and Thurrott are THE SAME BEAST!! …or damn close bed partners.
EITHER WAY, MDN and Thurrott get the hits they need!!
MDN is Thurrott’s Hit-Generator!!
C’mon people, WAKE UP!!!
Both MDN and Thurrott have a very similar writing styles and both tend to ignore facts. In fact, both have shown to be annoyed by facts and figures, and staunchly defend their opinions in the face of facts. This latest Thurrott article is the strongest proof of a psychoses: I hate Macs and I like Macs (wants to buy one). This same psychoses is identical to the Thurrott vs MDN duality: I hate Macs (Thurrott) and I like Macs (MDN).
Take special note that MDN doesn’t pay this much attention to ANY OTHER Microsoft lover. If Thurrott is so bad, WHY ALL OF THIS ATTENTION?!!!
Just as Turrott lives in a very odd self-created universe, so does MDN. According to MDN’s motto (upper left corner under logo), “Where Mac News Comes First”. It obviously doesn’t and is merely the same Thurrott-like delusional bubble on a Mac-focussed website. As a comparison, one of the best sources for real DAILY Mac news (and tons of it) is MacWorld UK ( [url=http://www.macworld.co.uk]http://www.macworld.co.uk[/url] ).
MDN and Thurrott both show strong indications of self-grandure and are pleased at the support they give each other. Even though MDN has constantly criticized Thurrott as trash, MDN KEEPS THE LINKS GOING!! In addition, MDN loves the attention it receives when there is a Thurrott article to comment on. BOTH parties get the hits!!!
I’m not sure if the MDN/Thurrott symbiosis is the product of marketing genius or the lucky evolution of a single person trying to write for two different formats and stumbled upon the ability to self-generate hits in this manner. Regardless, it is getting very old and tiring.
Sad… very, very sad… actually, quite pitiful “journalism”! But, very typical for this type of personality.
My prediction: Thurrott’s “articles” will continue to be showing up here frequently because both MDN and Thurrott need it for the hits, and to survive. If not for the money, for his own ego.
Why would an “expert” such as Paul even need to ask Mac user’s for advice. I mean any computer geek can figure this stuff out in under two minutes. The guy is obviously looking for hits to pay his salary, He just can’t be that stupid…but then again he prefers the Dell DJ.
He should know better the products of the company he hates most.
It’s funny, this guy is a sad man.
Superior dell dj.
OS X lags behind xp
Why the heck would he want a MAC?
He lacks any credibility at all.
If his only requirement is tha ability to burn DVDs, then the iBook is the right choice.
The fact that he has no other requirement puzzles me slightly. Are they just data or does he want to make DVDs tha play movies using iMovie, iDVD ? If that’s the case, then answer is still probably the iBook unless he wants the smaller form factor and a slightly faster machine.
Ok, it’s so obvious now that he’s just simply trolling for hits for his half assed website. Don’t be stupid enough help this pathetic swine out…
Here Paul,
Just for you who buys the balney about performacne of PC products…
http://www.go-l.com/home/index.htm
Eric – Are those US dollars ? I thought PCs were cheap
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Paul Thurrott is my love jelly. I like to spread him on bread.
Peter
I agree.
An expert such as he purports to be asking advice! It’s hilarious.
John
Arygaetu makes a damn good point. Why is MDN posting an, and I use the term loosely, “article” from this ass monkey that has no point to anything, and is so obvious in that its only purpose for existence is to agitate Mac users? Does anyone truly believe Thurrott is asking for computer advice? Please. And MDN’s first response about “telling Paul where to go” speaks volumes. Maybe MDN is who we should all start bashing for constantly giving Paul the Ass Monkey space for his drivel.
Well I feel a lot of it here is that Thurrott thinks that whatever he says goes for everyone. Each individual person is entitled to their own opinion: Not everybody is going to enjoy the iPod. Yes, it’s the market leader, but that doesn’t mean everyone loves it, because obviously there are people out there who are buying other mp3 players. Personally, I think it is a futile argument to say: Macs/iPods are better here, here, and here, and therefore you are an idiot if you own anything else. For some people, a PC is better than a Mac for their own purposes (they can be cheaper, people often have games and/or programs that are PC only that they would like to continue using, etc.). Personally, I am through and through a Mac person now, but I don’t force that belief on others.
My point here is that if Thurrott thinks the Dell DJ is superior, that’s his belief. He feels it is more useful for the kind of MP3 listening that he does. Obviously he no longer purchases off the iTunes Music Store, because those songs are not compatible on any other player (evidence that Apple is losing a large amount of music sales to people who have different preferences, although I agree that the iPod should be the focus and not iTMS). If he likes Windows better than Apple, that’s fine.
Face it: Windows is a different interface. Personally, I loved the Start Menu: All my programs were in one nicely compact list, not applications folder I had to access through my hard drive (to me, it made sense). I personally liked features that allowed you to view hidden files more easily, I loved Windows XP’s better thumbnailing and built in ability to view photographs in a Browser window without having to import them all into iPhoto to get a good look.
But I like Macs because they’re more stable, more reliable, prettier, faster, and easier. So I’ve switched and will stay this way, but others prefer the set of abilities Windows allows.
So if Thurrott likes Windows, let him. If he likes the Dell DJ, let him.
But just because he thinks so doesn’t mean everyone else will. So just take everything he says with a grain of salt, and continue being the dedicated Mac Addicts that you are.
-Russell
I just want to know if he would like to donate his iPod to someone who can give it a good home while he is enjoying his “Superior Dell DJ”. That good home would of course be mine:-)
My Windows PC is so great and I like to hug it and squeeze it and call it George. oo-ooaaa-wwwooAAAAAAA!!!!!!!
Thurrott just buys Macs to lend an air of legitimacy to his extremely biased views which are bought and paid for. This guy is a whore.
I agree that with everyone who advises him NOT to buy a mac. There was a really cool cartoon a while back that I wish I had saved. It was a Mac User taking his friends to an Apple store and the employee in the store made them wait outside because he said they “weren’t cool enough” hehehe. If anybody knows the cartoon I am talking about and has a link to it please let me know cuz it really fits with this situation. Paul is just “not cool enough” to own a mac.
hey, mdn, how about making a section away from the main page for this drivel that this guy spins out, so he gets less hits, but so we can still verbally batter him still. : )